SUNDAY www.thestatesman.com 10 JANUARY 2021 FIND US ONLINE Scan this with your smartphone twitter.com/TheStatesmanLtd facebook.com/thestatesman1875 Pages 12 | `5.00 |LC* KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR N. KOREA THREATENS TO EXPAND NUCLEAR ARSENAL BIDEN TO INTRODUCE IMMIGRATION BILL AFTER TAKING OFFICE P10 WEATHER Mainly clear sky with mist in the morning. Temperature most likely to be in the range of 29-19 degree Celsius. AN ADELAIDE BIO BUBBLE FOR OZ OPEN NOW PAK COURT ASKS POLICE TO ARREST AZHAR BY 18 JAN P11 P11 P12 PM: India ready to protect humanity Vaccination from 16 Jan; priority to Covid warriors RAINFALL: NIL RELATIVE HUMIDITY PRESS TRUST OF INDIA NEW DELHI, 9 JANUARY Central govt decides on vaccination date keeping in mind forthcoming festival week Max. 82 % STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Min. 49 % TEMPERATURE Max: 29.1°C (4) SUN RISES 06:18 hrs MOON RISES 02:07 hrs New moon on 13 Min: 19.1°C (5) SUN SETS 17:09 hrs MOON SETS 13:34 hrs January THUMBNAILS Farmers during their protest against the new farm laws on a cold day at the Tikri Border. In the Capital on Saturday.  SNS Ex-Union minister Madhavsinh Solanki dead: U Former external affairs minister and Congress veteran Madhavsinh Solanki, who had also served as chief minister of Gujarat four times, died in Gandhinagar on early Saturday morning, Congress leaders said. He was 93. He had served as External Affairs Minister from June 1991 to March 1992. He was the longest serving chief minister of Gujarat before Narendra Modi became CM. Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani has P4 declared a one-day mourning. Bird flu confirmed in 7 states: The Centre on Saturday said the outbreak of bird flu or avian influenza has been reported in Uttar Pradesh, taking the total number of affected states to seven. However, the confirmation of bird flu in Delhi, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, is awaited as the samples have been sent for testing, it said. Besides UP, the other six states where bird flu is confirmed are Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana & Gujarat. The Department has issued advisory to the affected states so as to avoid further spread,” P5 the Ministry of Fisheries said. NEW DELHI, 9 JANUARY ndia will launch its Covid-19 vaccination drive from 16 January in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the world’s largest inoculation programme with priority to be given to nearly three crore healthcare and frontline workers. The decision, the government said on Saturday, was taken at a high-level meeting where Modi reviewed the status of Covid-19 and vaccine preparedness across states and union territories. “After the detailed review, it was decided that in view of the forthcoming festivals including Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu etc, the Covid-19 vaccination will start from 16 January 2021,” it said. After healthcare and frontline workers, priority will be given to those above 50 years of age and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities, together numbering around 27 crore, a government statement said. According to the Health Ministry guidelines on Covid-19 vaccination, the latest electoral roll for Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections will be used to identify the population aged 50 years or more. The Prime Minister said that India will take a landmark step forward in fighting Covid-19 on 16 January. “Starting that day, India’s nationwide vaccination drive begins. Priority will be given to our brave doctors, healthcare workers, I INOCULATION LOWDOWN  After healthcare and frontline workers, priority will be given to those above 50 years of age and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities, together numbering around 27 crore. frontline workers including Safai Karamcharis(sanitation workers,” Modi tweeted. The Prime Minister is scheduled to interact with chief ministers of all states via video conferencing on Monday where they will discuss the Covid-19 situation and the vaccination roll-out. India had recently granted emergency use authorisation to two vaccines, Oxford’s Covishield being manufactured by Serum Institute in India and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. Both vaccines, the statement from the Health Ministry said, have established safety and immunogenicity. At least seven other vaccines are being developed in India, while some others can be imported from abroad, including the one developed by global pharma giant Pfizer which has already applied for import and sale in India of its vaccine for emergency use authorisation. There are 2,24,190 active  According to the Health Ministry guidelines, the latest electoral roll for Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections will be used to identify the population aged 50 years or more.  The Prime Minister is scheduled to interact with chief ministers of all states via video conferencing on Monday where they will discuss the Covid-19 situation and the vaccination roll-out cases of coronavirus infection in the country which constitutes 2.16 per cent of the total caseload so far of over 1.04 crore, according to the latest Health Ministry data. More than 1.5 lakh people have died so far. However, the spread of the virus has lessened in a big way in the country as the daily number of new cases has dropped to less than 20,000 from a peak of almost 98,000 in September last year. However, the overall caseload for India is the second-highest in the world after the US, which has reported more than 2 crore cases so far ~ almost double of India’s cumulative tally. However, India tops the global charts for recovery with more than 1 crore having recuperated after contracting the deadly virus. The vaccination drive in India is starting almost one year after the first case was reported on 30 January, 2020 in Kerala. In the review meeting, India logs 18K fresh cases 1,04,31,639 2,24,190 18,222 19,253 1,50,798 UNION HEALTH MINISTRY FIGURES AS OF 8.00 A.M. SATURDAY 09 JANUARY 2021 Modi was also briefed about the Co-WIN vaccine delivery management system, a unique digital platform that will provide real-time information of vaccine stocks, their storage temperature and individualised tracking of beneficiaries of the Covid-19 vaccine. This platform will assist the programme managers across all levels through automated session allocation for pre-registered beneficiaries, their verification and for generating a digital certificate upon successful completion of the vaccine schedule. More than 79 lakh beneficiaries have been already registered on the platform, the statement said. As the vaccinators and vaccine administrators comprise a crucial pillar of the vaccination exercise, NEW DELHI, 9 JANUARY India’s Covid-19 tally of cases climbed to 1,04,31,639 with 18,222 new infections reported in a day, while 1,00,56,651 people have recuperated so far pushing the national recovery rate to 96.41 per cent as on Saturday, according to Union Health Ministry data. There are 2,24,190 active cases in the country which is 2.16 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated. The total coronavirus cases mounted to 1,04,31,639 and the death toll climbed to 1,50,798 with the novel coronavirus virus claiming 228 lives in the last 24 hours. Bengal: Bengal today registered 787 fresh Covid-19 cases and 20 deaths linked to the virus. The total Covid case count is 5,59,886 and death toll is 9,922 in the state till now while there are 8,034 active cases. Kolkata recorded 193 cases and SNS 5 deaths. their training process was also detailed out in the meeting, and it was noted that 2,360 participants were trained during a nationallevel exercise (training of trainers) comprising state immunisation officers, cold chain officers, IEC officials and development partners among others. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the country was ready to protect humanity by providing two Indian-manufactured Coronavirus vaccines and appealed to the Indian diaspora to use more “Made in India” products to popularise them across the globe. Addressing the virtual inaugural session of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention, Modi said India was continuing to play its role as the “world’s pharmacy” by making available essential medicines to those who were in need around the world. “We are ready to protect humanity with two ‘Made in India’ Corona vaccines,” he said. “The world is not only waiting for India’s vaccine, but everyone is watching how India runs the world’s largest vaccination programme.” The PBD is the flagship event of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and provides an important platform to engage and connect with overseas Indians. The theme of the PBD was “Contributing to Aatmanirbhar Bharat.” The keynote address was delivered by the chief guest, Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi. Lauding the contribution of the Indian diaspora to the global community, Modi said, “Today we have been connected with the internet from various corners of the world but our minds are always connected with ‘Maa Bharti’ … In the last few months, I've had discussions with several heads of states. These heads of states have categorically mentioned how 10 newborns dead in Maharashtra hospital fire 23 stranded Indian crew to return PRESS TRUST OF INDIA PRESS TRUST OF INDIA BHANDARA, 9 JANUARY In a horrific tragedy, ten newborn babies died after a fire broke out at the neo-natal care ward of the district general hospital at Bhandara in eastern Maharashtra in the early hours of Saturday. The staff managed to rescue seven of the 17 babies in the ward. While the cause was suspected to be a short circuit or a malfunctioning air-conditioning unit and the state goverment ordered probe by fire experts, a BJP leader alleged that there were complaints about power flucuations in the ward but no action was taken. Health minister Rajesh Tope said a six-member committee headed by director, Health, Sadhana Tayade will conduct an inquiry and submit a report in three days. The staff managed to rescue seven of the 17 babies in the neo-natal care ward of a state-run hospital at Bhandara in Maharashtra. The cause of blaze is suspected to be a short circuit or malfunctioning AC unit Those responsible shall not be spared, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said. A fire audit of all the hospitals in the state has been ordered, he informed. Calling the incident “heartwrenching and mind- numbing”, Thackeray announced aid of Rs 5 lakh for family members of the deceased babies. The deceased infants ~ eight girls and two boys ~ were aged between one month and three months, and most of them were admitted to the ward for being underweight, a doctor said. One of the deceased baby boys had been found abandoned in a remote area of the district and admitted to the hospital last week. In a cruel twist of fate, the unnamed child became the victim of fire. Minister Tope told reporters that three of the ten infants died of burn injuries while seven others died of suffocation caused by smoke. According to doctors, the blaze erupted in the Special Newborn Care Unit of the hospital around 1.30 am. District civil surgeon Pramod Khandate said a nurse noticed smoke coming out from the neo-natal section ~ which needs continuous oxyygen supply ~ and alerted doctors and other staff who rushed there and tried to douse flames with fire extinguishers before fire brigade arrived. They managed to rescued seven children from the smoke- filled ward but ten others perished, he said. The cause of the fire in the four-storey building is yet to be ascertained but could be a short circuit, he said. Shubhangi Sathavne and Smita Ambilduke, the two nurses who were on night duty, said they heard explosion-like sounds in the neonatal ward. “When we rushed inside, smoke filled up nose and eyes.We could not see anything, but heard glass shattering. We raised alarm and with the help of security guards and fire brigade staff rescued seven of the children,” they said. “The government has ordered a high-level probe to find out if a short circuit or the air conditioner malfunctioning was the reason,” said state home minister Anil Deshmukh. NEW DELHI, 9 JANUARY Twenty-three Indian sailors stuck in China will return on 14 January, Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Saturday. The cargo ship MV Jag Anand is set to sail towards Chiba in Japan, he said. “Our seafarers stuck in China are coming to India. Ship MV Jag Anand, having 23 Indian crew, stuck in China is set to sail toward Chiba, Japan, to carry out crew change, will reach India on 14 January,” the shipping minister said in a tweet. Mandaviya acknowledged “the humanitarian approach of the Great Eastern Shipping Company towards the seafarers and standing by them in this crucial time!” On 30 December, 2020, he had said that Indian sailors stuck in China will be brought back soon as diplomatic talks are on with the neighbouring country. Two cargo vessels with Indian sailors on board have been at anchorage in Chinese waters as they were not allowed to unload their cargo, though some other ships have managed to do so. “Diplomatic talks are going on for this successfully. Our seafarers will come to India soon,” Mandaviya had said in reply to a query about the sailors being stuck for the last seven months during a Cabinet briefing. China on 25 December had said that there is no ‘link’ between the stranded Indian ship crew and its strained relations with India. Cargo vessel MV Jag Anand is at anchorage near Jingtang port in Hebei province of China since 13 June and it has 23 Indian sailors. Another vessel, MV Anastasia with 16 Indian crew, is at anchorage near Caofeidian port in China since 20 September. Army apprehends Chinese trooper WASHINGTON, 9 JANUARY @realDonaldTrump, the Twitter feed that grew from the random musings of a reality TV star into the cudgel of an American president, has died. It was not quite 12 years old. The provocative handle was given birth by a New York real estate tycoon who used it to help him become the 45th U.S. president. It began with a 4 May, 2009, tweet promoting Donald Trump’s upcoming appearance on David Letterman’s show. It died more than 57,000 tweets later, with Trump using some of his final postings on the powerful platform to commiserate with a pro-Trump mob that besieged the halls of Congress in a deadly assault as lawmakers were set to certify his defeat. The account met its demise when Twitter announced on Friday it was pulling the plug permanently on @realDonaldTrump, citing concern that Trump would use it for “further incitement of violence.” Trump retorted that he’d be “building out our own platform in the near future. We will not be SILENCED!” Trump, a novice politician but seasoned salesman, realized the power of social media in ways that few other politicians did. And he wielded it with never-before-seen power to diminish his opponents, shape elections and mold reality ~ at least in the eyes of his supporters. Early on, @realDonaldTrump seemed innocent enough. Its owner, who had prolific experience in marketing casinos, real estate and even Oreos, used the platform mostly to promote his books, media appearances and give friendly plugs to friends. But as Trump began seriously toying with a White House run, it became a tool to scorch opponents and give shape to his nationalist, “America First” philosophy. He deployed its venom equally, whether insulting celebrity enemies (Rosie O’Donnell was “crude, rude, obnoxious and dumb”) or using xenophobia to malign a country (Britain is “trying hard to disguise their massive Muslim problem”). Peter Costanzo, then an online marketing director for the publishing company putting out Trump’s book, Think Like a Champion, helped bring Trump to the platform. Twitter was still in its infancy at the time. But Costanzo, who later came to work for The Associated Press, saw the then-140-character-per-message platform as a new tool that the real estate mogul could use to boost sales and reach a broader audience. Costanzo was given seven minutes to make his pitch to Trump ~ “Not five minutes, not 10,” he recalled in a 2016 interview. Trump liked what he heard. “I said, ‘Let’s call you @realDonaldTrump~ you’re the real Donald Trump,’” recalled Costanzo. “He thought about it for a minute and said: ‘I like it. Let’s do it.’” Other than Trump’s family, no one seemed off limits from his Twitter wrath. Trump attacked Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats, 2016 political rivals, current administration staffers, former administration staffers, the Republican Party and cable networks. @realDonaldTrump was prolific: On days when its owner was particularly agi- Persons of Indian Origin served their societies, from doctors to social workers to even commoners.” India’s mantra of ‘One Sun, One World, One Grid’ was appealing to the world. India’s history was proof that there was no question or doubts about the country’s ability in any circumstances, he added. “India used to import PPE kits, masks, ventilators and testing kits from outside but today our nation is self-reliant. Today India is ready to save humanity with two ‘Made in India’ Covid-19 vaccines... You all have made a big contribution in the fight against Covid from where you are staying and in India. Your contribution to PM Cares is strengthening health services in India,” the PM said. He told the Indian diaspora that the country always stood with them and pointed out that over 45 lakh people were rescued under the government’s “Vande Bharat” mission during the pandemic. Indonesia jet carrying 62 goes missing on domestic flight JAMMU, 9 JANUARY A Chinese soldier has been apprehended on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. He was apprehended during the early hours of Friday, sources said. The soldier of the Peoples Liberation Army had transgressed across the LAC, in the area south of Pangong and was taken into custody by Indian troops deployed in the area. Troops from either side are deployed along the LAC since skirmishes erupted last year. The PLA soldier is being dealt with as per laid-down SNS procedures. A farewell to @realDonaldTrump, gone after 57,000 tweets ASSOCIATED PRESS We are ready to protect humanity with two ‘Made in India’ Corona vaccines. The world is not only waiting for India’s vaccine, but everyone is watching how India runs the world’s largest vaccination programme tated, such as in the midst of impeachment proceedings, it pushed out more than 100 tweets. In its most popular tweet, on 2 October, 2020, @realDonaldTrump announced that Trump and first lady Melania Trump had contracted the coronavirus. The post got 1.8 million likes and nearly 400,000 retweets, according to Factba.se. @realDonaldTrump frequently spread misleading, false and malicious assertions, such as the baseless ideas that protesters at Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings were paid by the liberal philanthropist George Soros and that November’s election was beset by voter fraud. JAKARTA, 9 JANUARY A Sriwijaya Air passenger jet carrying 62 people lost contact with air traffic controllers on Saturday, minutes after taking off from Indonesia’s capital on a domestic flight, officials said. Transportation minister Budi Karya Sumadi said Flight SJ182 was delayed for an hour before it took off at 2:36 pm (local time). The plane disappeared from radar four minutes later, after the pilot contacted air traffic control to ascend to an altitude of 29,000 feet, he said. The airline said in a statement that the plane was on an estimated 90-minute flight from Jakarta to Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan province on Indonesia’s Borneo island. There were 56 passengers and six crew members on board. Sumadi said a dozen vessels, including four warships, were deployed in a search and rescue operation centered between Lancang island and Laki island, part of the Thousand Islands chain just north of Jakarta. Local media reports said fishermen spotted metal objects believed to be parts of a plane on Saturday afternoon in the Thousand Islands. In October 2018, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet operated by Lion Air plunged into the Java Sea just minutes after taking off from Jakarta, killing all 189 AP people on board.